96630 Introduction to Psychology A
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
Psychology is a diverse field which seeks to understand human behaviour and mental processes. Along with Introduction to Psychology B, this is one of two subjects that introduce students to the core concepts and methods of psychological science and build a foundation of skills in academic writing and critical thinking. Psychology is introduced as a hub science and students learn about leading psychological theories across a range of major subfields. Students also reflect on cultural, historic, and contemporary contexts and the impacts of mental and physical health on individuals and society. Students explore how social and personality factors, development, and perception filter experience. Such insights help us to better understand human behaviour and individual differences, and foster values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 009. | Explain why psychology is a hub science. |
|---|---|
| 011. | Describe key concepts, principles, and theories in psychology. |
| 012. | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of psychology's major subfields and key theories in psychology. |
| 013. | Describe historically important perspectives (e.g., theoretical orientations) in psychological science. |
| 022. | Describe key research concepts relevant to psychological science. |
| 023. | Define psychological research concepts in a research study. |
| 051. | Describe the cultural, historic, and contemporary contexts that influence the lives of Indigenous Australians. |
| 062. | Apply appropriate formatting to written submissions in line with the current American Psychological Association (APA). |
| 064. | Present clear and concise communications to fulfill a purpose and address specific audiences. |
| 065. | Express ideas that accurately reflect basic psychological concepts and principles. |
| 071. | Summarise main ideas from psychology sources and research. |
| 078. | Communicate personal opinions and reflections effectively in a manner that is sensitive to context. |
| 090. | Participate in relevant activities to gain experience in the application of psychological methods and interventions. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Cultural Responsiveness: Identify knowledge and skills required for research and professional practice that is culturally responsive, and cognisant of the impacts of ongoing colonisation on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. (1.1)
- Psychological Literacy: Apply psychological knowledge and skills to personal, professional, and societal goals. (2.1)
- Research Proficiency: Use knowledge of research methods and appropriate technologies to interpret and communicate empirical evidence. (3.1)
- Lifelong Learning: Employ knowledge, skills, and attributes required for self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology and for ongoing personal and professional development. (4.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
Culturally Responsive
Graduates of the Bachelor of Psychology are able to reflect on and explain their own and others' cultural perspectives, particularly in the context of working with and for Indigenous Australians. (1)
Psychologically Literate
Graduates of the Bachelor of Psychology apply knowledge of psychology, critical thinking and scientific reasoning to personal, professional, and societal goals. (2)
Research Proficient
Graduates of the Bachelor of Psychology understand research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis and interpretation, and appropriate use of technologies. (3)
Lifelong Learner
Graduates of the Bachelor of Psychology are equipped for a lifetime of inquiry, and engage in ongoing reflection for personal and professional development. (4)
Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) program can find a list of the corresponding graduate attributes and course intended learning outcomes in the UTS Handbook.
Teaching and learning strategies
Orientation activities
Preparation for the session - You may be expected to undertake activities during orientation week. These activities are designed to introduce you to the subject and your peers and will assist you to prepare for the subject's assessment tasks.
Prep work
Prep work is undertaken prior to tutorials. Prep work includes attending or viewing lectures. It can also include watching other videos, reading a blog entry/website/textbook chapter/journal article/magazine article and/or listening to a podcast/video/interview. Questions often accompany the prep work so students read with intent which encourages deep reading. Content covered in prep work is strongly linked to the content covered in lectures and tutorials. Please ensure prep work is carried out so that you have spent some time accessing and making sense of ideas. Attending the tutorials will allow you to test these ideas and get feedback from your teachers and peers which will further consolidate your learning. Your knowledge and understanding of the lectures and prep work will be tested and applied using quizzes, group discussions and practical activities in tutorials.
Tutorials
Tutorials are conducted in groups of up to 30. Content in classes often includes the practice of practical skills and further consolidation of information gained in the prep work. Activities are varied and require students to work alone, work in pairs or work in groups of 3 or more. Examples of these activities include short quizzes, short student-led presentations, group discussions where students reflect on what they have learnt in class and share this with the class. Group discussions often involve solving a problem or answering a question based on case studies or the content topic. All activities are facilitated by the teacher. Feedback is provided by the teacher where there is discrepancy in the knowledge and understanding of the content or disagreement in opinions between groups. Feedback can also be provided by peers.
Material that will be assessed is discussed during tutorials. Therefore, regular attendance at tutorials is necessary for optimal learning outcomes, and to ensure adequate preparation for assessment tasks. Failure to attend tutorials is very likely to jeopardise your chances of passing or doing well in the subject. For this reason, attendance records will be kept. Students are regarded as responsible adult learners. Therefore, if you cannot attend a particular class, it is your responsibility to catch up on material that you may have missed (e.g., by requesting to attend another tutorial, or organising to access a friend’s notes). Tutorials will not be conducted outside of scheduled tutorial times. For this reason, it is a good idea to set up a “buddy-system” with one or more other students in your tutorial class, so that you can assist each other with notes and debriefing for missed tutorials.
Independent learning activities
Relevant readings, videos and activities will be made available online relevant to the topic of the week. This will support your ability to progress successfully throughout the subject and complete assessment items effectively. The online material aims to enhance your understanding of the topic or delve deeper into a more specific area, compare experiences and ideas with others and gain feedback. Information and links to all these learning activities can be accessed via Canvas as well as the subject outline.
Feedback
Feedback in this subject takes several forms including self-assessment, peer review, automatic feedback from interactive activities and from the teaching team. Formative feedback throughout the subject aims to increase your performance in summative assessments.
Feedback and changes from previous subject offering
This is a new subject and we will be collecting feedback from you in several forms to evaluate the design and depth of the content and its delivery. We appreciate you taking part in this process to ensure we are delivering subjects that are contemporary and meet your needs.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Tutorial Worksheets
| Intent: | This assessment provides a platform for students to demonstrate their understanding of the course content by summarising the main ideas from psychology’s major sub-fields and critically reflecting on what they have learnt from the tutorials in this subject. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 009, 011, 064, 071 and 078 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 10% |
| Length: | In total, approximately 300-500 words. |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas. |
Assessment task 2: Tests of Knowledge
| Intent: | This assessment allows students to test their understanding of the content associated with the subject material. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 012, 022 and 051 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 45% |
| Length: | Open Book Online quiz: 3 x 20 questions. Closed Book In-person quiz: 30 questions. |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria available on Canvas. |
Assessment task 3: Understanding and avoiding plagiarism
| Intent: | This assessment allows students to develop their academic writing by understanding what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid plagiarism in their own work. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 090 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 4.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | Mandatory task that does not contribute to subject mark |
| Length: | 10 questions. |
| Criteria: | A passing mark of 100%. No limit on number of times the quiz may be taken. |
Assessment task 4: Critical Review
| Intent: | Students critically review a historical argument/debate from the field of psychology. By engaging in this task, students demonstrate their understanding of key psychological concepts and important perspectives in psychological science and their written communication ability. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 013, 062 and 065 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 2.1 and 3.1 |
| Type: | Essay |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 1500 words. |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas. |
Assessment task 5: Research Participation
| Intent: | Students are provided with the opportunity to participate in research studies relevant to psychology. This participation is designed to increase students’ awareness regarding theory and research methodology in psychology. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 023 and 090 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 5% |
| Length: | 5 hours (i.e., 10 credit points) of research participation and submission of brief report (up to 200 words). |
| Criteria: | Marking criteria are available on Canvas. |
Minimum requirements
To pass this subject, students must submit their work for all assessment tasks and must achieve a minimum mark of 50 after all assessment marks are combined.
In addition, although students are expected to attend 100% of tutorials, up to two tutorial classes can be missed without the need to provide supporting documentation. Poor attendance may result in failure of the subject (Section 3.8 Attendance and/or participation requirements). Arriving on time to all tutorials is important. Lateness is disruptive to peers and colleagues. Arriving more than 10 minutes late may result in a recorded absence for the tutorial.
Progression Rules
If a student fails a subject for the second time in a course offered by the Graduate School of Health (UTS Rule 10.6.1(2)), they are not permitted to enrol in that subject for a third time. If the subject is a core subject, and the student is refused permission for a third attempt, the student is excluded from the course for at least one academic year (UTS Rule 10.6.1). Students may apply for re-admission to the course through the standard admission process at the end of the one year exclusion period but an offer is not guaranteed.
Recommended texts
Please see Canvas regarding which texts are freely available online.
Holt, N., Bremner, A., Vliek, M., Sutherland, E., Passer, M., & Smith, R. (2023). Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour (5th ed.). McGraw Hill.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
O’Shea, R. & McKenzie, W. (2021). Writing for psychology. (7th ed.) Cengage Learning.
References
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). (2020). Assessment of coursework subjects policy and procedures, UTS.
A comprehensive list of references and other resources available in this subject is provided in Canvas.
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
For other resources/information refer to the Faculty of Health website and Canvas.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: lib.uts.edu.au, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: +61 2 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.
The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
The Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.
The Financial Assistance Service can assist you with financial aspects of life at university, including Centrelink information, tax returns and budgeting, interest-free student loans and grants to assist with course-related costs. Check eligibility and apply online and make an appointment on +61 2 9514 1177 or Financial.assistance@uts.edu.au.